Well day of the historic national election came and went... If you missed the news the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) was ousted by the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) ending 50 years of almost unbroken LDP rule.
Here is a photo of a poster showing the local candidates (clockwise from top left):-
Representing the LDP and current sitting member for this seat Dr Shimizu Kouichirou he came second in this election and lost the seat.
Representing the Happiness Realisation Party (HRP) Mr Kishimoto Kouichi he came last in this election.
Representing the Japanese Communist Party (JCP) Ms Ishimura Kazuko she came third in this election.
Representing the DPJ Mr Izumi Kenta the new member for this seat.
I'm only reporting the facts of this election and I'm not going to give any personal opinions on what I think of any of the candidates or parties. I pray for the winners that they'll will govern the country wisely as there are many challenges facing Japan.
Trivia: The JCP is the world's strongest non ruling Communist Party (with about 4% support nation wide in the single member seats voting, and 7% support nation wide in the proportion representation seats voting), now that was something I didn't know until I moved here.